Stopper



F. E. RICE Feb. 7, 1939.

STOPPER Fil ed Oct. 25, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l- F. E. RICE 2,146,382

STOPPER Filed Oct. 25, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 7, 1939.

tion between it and a tap-bush whereby a shorter cork may be used tosecure efficient sealing eifect and to provide a substantial bulge atthe inner end of the cork to prevent its blowing out of the bush.

Embodiments of the lustrated in the accompanying the views thereof areas follows:

Figure 1 is a central vertical sectional view through a Peerlesstap-bush equipped with a stopper or cork of the present invention,showing the cork in sealing position in the tube opening of the bush.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the arrangement of Figure 1, with thefragmental portion of the barrel or keg eliminated.

Figure 3 is an elevational view of a stopper or cork constructed inaccordance with the present invention.

Figure 4 is an end view of the cork of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a view showing a cork about to be applied to a tap-bush ofthe Peerless type and showing the relationships of the diameters of thecork and the tube opening in the bush.

Figure 6 is a modified form of cork when the concavity or recess isformed by straight lines as opposed to the curved lines of the cork ofFigure 3.

Figure '7 is a vertical sectional view through a tap-bush of thePeerless type, with the tube opening tapered inwardly from its outerend, divergently, with a straight sided cork in place showing a bulge orprotuberance at the inner end of the tube opening.

Figure 8 is a bottom plan view of Figure '7, with the fragmental portionof the barrel omitted.

Figure 9 is a view of the modified tap of Figure 7, and a straight sidedcork about to be applied, showing the relationship of the tube openingand cork.

Figure 10 is a fragmental vertical sectional view through another formof Peerless tapbush, showing the taper of the tube opening formed bycurved lines.

Figure 11 is a fragmental central-vertical sectional view of anothermodification of bush showing the tube opening as having a substantiallycylindrical entrance end with the interior of the opening of greaterdiameter inwardly of the entrance end.

The drawings will now be explained.

The tap-bush illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3, is formed as a castingwith a threaded outer margin l for threading into a'bush opening in abarrel B, and with a top flange 2 which is set into a countersunkportion of the bush opening in the barrel. The bush A hasa central neck3 which is formed with a cylindrical tube opening 4 extending from theouter surface to the inner surface of the bush. The outer end of theneck is provided with the usual overhanging shoulders 5 for cooperatingwith the lug of a tap, in the well known manner.

The bush is illustrated with a plurality of sharpened prongs 6projecting below the inner face of the tap-bush and aboutthe lowermargin of the tube opening 4 for the purpose of engaging the bulge of acork or stopper with lock action, as an additional securing means, andas exemplified in applicants Patent No. 2,048,031, dated July 21, 1936.

It is to be understood that the sharpened prongs 6 might be eliminatedwithout in any present invention are ildrawings and manner defeating thefunctioning of the stopper or cork of the present invention.

One form of stopper or cork is illustrated in Figures 3 and 5 and as soshown has two cylindrically shaped ends 1 and 8, of the same diameter,with an intermediate portion 9 concaved between the cylindrical ends,the concavity being formed on a radius struck from a center which is ina line through the middle of the cork between the planes of its ends.

The cork illustrated in Figure 6 has cylindrically shaped ends Ill and lI and an intermediate concave portion formed by straight lines whichconverge from each of the cylindrical ends meeting at substantiallymid-length of the cork as at l2.

As may be observed in Figure 5 the diameters of the cylindrical ends ofthe cork as well as the minimum diameter of the concavity are greaterthan the diameter of the tube opening 4 of the bush.

The corks are driven into the tap-bushes by a machine known as a corkerwhich is set to drive the corks into the tube opening with the upperends of the corks displaced approximately one-quarter of an inch belowthe outer margin of the tube opening 4, as is illustrated in Figure 1.It is to be understood that when the corks are so driven into place, andcompressed, the upper end surface will be slightly distorted due to thecompression incurred by the cork when driven.

The length of the cork is greater than the axial length of the tubeopening 4 and when the cork is driven into a bush as illustrated inFigure 4, the inner end of the cork will project beyond the inner end ofthe tube opening 4 and because of its resilient characteristic, willform a bulge C as illustrated. The bulge C is greater than the diameterof the tube opening 4 so that gas pressure within a barrel tends tosqueeze the bulge tightly against the margin of the tube opening andincrease the frictional engagement of the cork with the opening toprevent blowout of the cork.

When a tap-bush is equipped with the prongs or lugs 6, additionalholding or locking means thus are provided.

In driving a cork of the form shown in either Figure 3 or Figure 6, assoon as the lower cylindrical end passes the upper end of the tubeopening 4 surface friction between the cork and the opening will bedecreased because of the concaved portion of the cork, thus enablingdriving of the cork into position with less force than that required todrive a straight sided cork, of the form shown in Figure 9.

The formation of a cork as illustrated in Figures 3, 5 and 6, is suchthat the lower cylindrical end will provide a bulge C of uniform shapethus increasing the sealing effect between the cork and the tap-bushwhen excessive gas pressure occurs in a barrel.

It has been demonstrated that a cork constructed as shown in Figures 3,5 and 6 need be only 1% long to produce a satisfactory and efficientbulge C at the inner end of the cork when the same is driven into place,to secure maximum holding effect.

To drive a straight sided cork such as that shown in Figure 9, into thebush illustrated in Figures 1 and 5, would require a cork of at least 1long in order to assume formation of a sufficient bulge to preventblowout of the cork.

It must be observed that the cork of the present invention immediatelyreduces the length of the cork necessary to secure the same sealingeifect, thereby reducing the cost of corks as much as $1.60 perthousand.

The form of invention illustrated in. Figures 7 to 11 inclusive,includes a novel tap-bush constructed to receive a straight sided cork Dand to hold the cork in place by wedge action.

In Figures '7 and 9, the tap-bush D is provided with a neck l3 which hasa tube receiving opening l4 diverging from the entrance end l5 of theopening, to the lower end of the opening at the lower surface or face ofthe bush. This divergence is slight. However, it is sufiicient to forman efficient frictional lock with the cork to prevent blowout of thesame.

Figure '7 illustrates a straight sided cork D placed in a taperedopening I4 and showing a bulge E at the inner end of the cork which issubjected to gas pressure in the barrel.

In this form of the invention when excessivegas pressure occurs in thebarrel, the tendency is to force the cork upwardly as viewed in Figure'7, Such tendency will tighten the frictional engagement between thecork and the tube opening l4, because of the tapered shape of the latterand thus effectively hold the cork against blowout or accidentaldisplacement.

The taper of the tube opening M, in the bush D, is substantially astraight line taper.

The bush F has a neck l6 provided with a tube opening II which tapersdivergently from the entrance end I8 of the opening and which is formedon a slight curve.

A cork D if driven into this character of bush, will function in thesame manner as described with reference to the cork and bush in Figure7.

The bush G of Figure 11 has a neck l9 provided with a tube openinghaving an upper cylindrical surface 20 and a lower cylindrical surface2| and an intermediate convex portion 22.

A straight sided cork, such as the cork D, driven into the bush G ofFigure 11 will be so driven that the upper surface of the same willalign substantially with the junction between the upper cylindricalsurface 20 of the opening and the concave portion 22, the tendency ofthe cork to expand after insertion will fill the concave portion 22 thuseffectually sealing the cork in the opening. There is of course theusual bulge projecting beyond the inner surface of the bush, in themanner described with other figures of the drawings.

It will be observed that the stopper of my invention is one which may bereadily driven into place in the tap-bush, with minimum effort.

3 This is especially true of the form of a stopper or cork illustratedin Figures 3, 5 and 6.

A cork or stopper constructed as described with reference to thesefigures, reduces side friction between the cork and the tube opening ofthe bush during the driving operation, so that the cork is foreshorteneda very slight amount if any at all, thus making it possible to reducethe overall length of the cork, thereby reducing the cost of the same.

It will be observed that the stopper means of the present inventioncontemplates a cooperating tap-bush and stopper or cork wherein thestopper or cork is expanded to fit the bush with wedge action and thusresist any effort to accidentally blowout the stopper from the bush, anyexcessive gas pressure tending to increase the binding effeet betweenthe cork and the bush rather than to reduce it.

The stopper or cork of the present invention may be said to be a cork inthe form of a solid of revolution about a vertical axis, with similarend portions and an intermediate concave portion.

The stopper is of somewhat hourglass shape in side elevation.

The invention has been described herein more or less precisely as todetails, yet it is to be understood that the invention is not to belimited thereby, and changes may be made in the arrangernent andproportion of parts, and equivalents may be substituted, withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of this invention.

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. In a beer barrel, a tap-bush having av bored neck to receive adraught tube, said neck having a straight bore of substantial length atits entrance end to guidedly receive a draught tube, said neck having aportion intermediate the entrance end and the inner end thereof ofgreater bore diameter than the bore diameter at the said entrance andthe said inner ends, and a stopper of resilient material entered in saidbore and adapted to conform itself to snugly fit said neck and opposedislodgement.

2. In a beer barrel, a tap-bush having a bored,

neck to receive a draught tube, said neck having an entrance end and aninner end of a bore formed extending through said neck, a portion ofsaid neck intermediate said entrance end and said inner end having thebore thereof enlarged to define a concave recess in the wall boundingthe bore, and a stopper of resilient material entered in said bore andadapted to conform itself to snugly fit said neck and opposedislodgement.

FRANK E. RICE.

